Aqua-Net: A flexible architectural framework for water management based on wireless sensor networks

Traditional techniques and technologies for water management will no longer be cost effective or efficient in meeting the demands and challenges of the coming years. In this paper we describe Aqua-Net, a wireless sensor networks (WSNs)-based architectural framework for an efficient and reliable water management application. We identify areas of research that we are currently engaged in. The proposed framework is a flexible and multi-tiered hybrid network architecture that consists of a large number of autonomous single-hop "sensor communities", a traveling backbone network, and a data depot. The key elements of the proposed architecture are reconfigurability, fault-tolerance and modularity. The architecture also addresses practical considerations in operating such monitoring networks during floods and other natural disasters.